Bottega Louie [Downtown LA]

For an afternoon of casual fine dining, we headed to Bottega Louie, an Italian gourmet market, patisserie, and restaurant located on the corner of Grand Avenue and 7th Street. Amongst the old and rubbish buildings of downtown LA, Bottega Louie or B.Louie, as Wesley calls it, stands out with its tall glass windows and brass trimmings.

The inside is even more grandiose; the first step and every step of Bottega Louie are taken on the marble floors amongst the high ceilings, white walls, and beautiful French trimmings. It was as if we walked into a culinary Italian heaven. First, we’re greeted with gold sealed cupcakes, cookies, and macaroons. Walk further, and we catch a glimpse of the gourmet market and its assortment of prepared foods for those who want a quick bite. Go deeper and we see the large and spacious restaurant bustling with lunch breakers.

When we took our seats, we were surprised to find that this place is actually affordable. Pastas are, for example, $8-$12, a gourmet pizza is $14, and the small plates (sides and appetizers) are $6-$8. This prompted us (a party of three with our friend, Lena) to order way too much food: one pizza, two fish entrees, and four small plates that weren’t that small.

Wesley's ice tea. Behind is the complimentary sparkling water provided at every meal.

First up came the pizza, a split of the Margherita and Napoli ($14). The tomato sauce and basil were delicious and the mozzarella cheese pulled off the pizza just like in the commercials. The other half, the Napoli, was uniquely infused with an olive taste. It also included red onions, mushrooms, olives, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. We thought the pizza was a solid piece of pie, but the bread lining it was a bit soggy.

The batter of the Fried Calamari ($7) was light and crispy, but over salted. This was combated by the slightly citrusy marinara sauce.

The crispy Portobello Fries ($8) was paired with their special aioli sauce. Definitely give this one a try.

The bright yellow corn in the Local Corn with Majoram ($6) was crunchy and sweet.

The French Fries ($6) fell short in comparison to the other small dishes. Nothing special.

The Black Cod ($23) came out in a small surprise. It was wrapped in parchment paper and oven roasted with zucchini, roasted tomatoes, potatoes, roasted peppers, leeks and baby spinach. Paired together, the vegetables' aroma was infused into the fish. Evelina thought that the moist and flakey pieces of cod were fishy, but the lemon beurre blanc sauce that came on the side hid the taste. Wesley thought all the flavors of this entrée went well together and that it was a very satisfying dish.

The Escolar Grille ($23) was Wesley’s pick for best dish of the lunch. The escolar was soft, yet firm and flavorful. The Puttanesca sauce (which prompted Lena to scream in astonishment, “THE SAUCE,”) was the highlight of the dish. While it complemented the fish very well, just consuming the sauce by itself would put any of us in heaven.

After a short walk around downtown (we were sooo full), we headed back to Bottega Louie for Round 2: Desserts. The patisserie takes up two sides of the market. On one side are the breads and tarts and on the other are the smaller treats, such as the macaroons and cupcakes. After prancing back and forth, we sat down at the café with some coffee and our cute pink box of pastries.

Above top to bottom: Yellow Cupcake with Chocolate frosting, Napoleon, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate and Vanilla Eclairs, and Vanilla Macarons.

The restaurant has good food, but what really sells us to B.Louie is the beautiful interior and service. Plus, this spacious building has a lot to offer. We can look to Bottega Louie for a unique dining experience, jars of their great pasta sauce, or an excellent espresso, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Bottega Louie
700 South Grand Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90017

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